Mike Mavrogeorge began his duties as the Fire Chief of Westchester, Illinois, in Cook County, on July 1, 2020. Prior to assuming his position in Westchester he served as the Fire Chief of Oak Lawn, Illinois, for 2 years where he led that agency to achieve an ISO Class 1 public protection rating, worked to establish national best practices and implement new community risk reduction programs, while re-establishing a positive relationship with the community and the firefighter’s union. From 2008-2018, he served as the Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director at St. Louis Downtown Airport. He began his fire service career in 1993 and has served on volunteer, paid-on-call, and career departments.

Following a desire to serve and advocate for the fire service at the state and national level, he currently serves as the President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Great Lakes Division. The Division includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. He also serves as a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Terrorism and Homeland Security Committee and served as the Vice-Chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Emergency Management Committee where he remains an adjunct subject matter expert.

Chief Mavrogeorge served as the Chairman of the Illinois Fire Services Association from 2015-2018. He served on the Executive Board of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association from 2009-2017 as a Director, Area Representative, Illinois IAFC Great Lakes Division Representative, and Chairman of the Legislative Committee. He has served as an instructor at the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute in the Special Operations Training Program since 2005.

He has earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, specializing in Emergency Response Policy and Coordination; a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration; possesses Illinois Chief Fire Officer certification; has attended the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program (EFO); is designated as a Chief Fire Officer (CFO) by the Center for Public Safety Excellence (re-designated in 2016 and 2019); holds Member Status (MIFireE) of the Institution of Fire Engineers, is accredited as an Illinois Professional Emergency Manager; and has various other Fire and EMS certifications.